Question : You always recommend walking, but is that enough to stay fit? What else should I do? I’m 60 and in pretty good shape. -Gladys T., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
A: Walking can keep you fit when it provides moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise that increases your heart rate and makes you sweat. You can do this with an intermittent walking routine that combines moving at your maximum speed for, say, 30 seconds to 3 minutes, then returning to a moderate pace (100 steps per minute) for between 2.5 and 10 minutes and repeating your pattern. for a total of 20 to 60 minutes. Then, for a significantly younger RealAge or ActualAge, you should add strength training several times per week.
But walking alone has interesting benefits, especially at 10,000 steps per day. It reduces joint pain and helps prevent type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cancer and osteoarthritis. And Harvard Medical School says that walking at least 20 minutes a day, five days a week, can reduce the number of sick days by 43 percent, compared to people who walk just once a week or less.
Your heart health benefits too: a study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that taking 9,000 to 10,500 steps per day provided maximum protection against cardiovascular disease, and any number of steps above 2,200 per day reduced the risk. of cardiovascular disease compared to a sedentary lifestyle. Another study found that walking 40 minutes, two to three times a week, reduced the risk of hospitalization for heart failure.
Walking also reduces the risk of breast cancer in women by 14%, according to a study by the American Cancer Society. And a study published in the journal Appetite indicates that a 15-minute walk can even quell chocolate cravings and reduce stress eating. So don’t shy away from the incredible benefits of a regular walking routine. LongevityPlaybook.com’s free newsletter and Dr. Oz’s iHerb.com blog, “More Movement May Increase Longevity,” can help you get started.
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Dr. Mike Roizen is the founder of www.longevityplaybook.com and Dr. Mehmet Oz is the global advisor to www.iHerb.com, the world’s leading online health store. Roizen and Oz are director of wellness emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and professor emeritus at Columbia University, respectively.
(c)2024 Michael Roizen, MD
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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